Fitness away from home – The elastic band

Ok, I am going to dive straight into this but first, I would like to apologise for the slight “neglect” of the fitness section. Here’s hoping you going to see my fitness side a bit more regularly.

It is the holiday season and some of you may have already booked holidays overseas or somewhere far away from homes. Or should I say far away from your beloved gyms. Anyway it’s a fact that our visit to the gym increases a lot just before we head off to a holiday (especially a beach holiday) to make sure we look our best.

Whiles some ladies may opt for that special diet that will work wonders in no time, the guys cannot stay away from the gym, in our quest to convert a one pack into six packs. Guys you know exactly what I am talking about. You have been sitting on that couch 360 days in a year eating crisps, whiles knocking back the six packs from the corner shop. All of a sudden, you have an epiphany to swap the six packs from the store for the one on your abs. It’s a lot to ask from your body don’t you think? Anyway this is not a post on how to work out a miracle abs before holiday. This is about maintaining the fitness levels you already have with the use of “The Elastic band”.

The elastic band is very useful fitness tool/equipment that is massively underrated by many. If used well, it could be your best workout partner. It is one of the best toning and strength building equipment out there. It also helps with increasing muscle mass, endurance and reduces body fat. The elastic band provides training by increasing the resistance as the band is stretched.

Its portable and versatile nature means you can fit it anywhere including your hand luggage, bags or even pocket if you so desire (but please don’t put it in your pocket). Basically you can take it on holiday using next to no space at all. I can carry on about the huge benefits of the elastic band but I’d rather keep this post relatively short. So now that you have no excuse to work out on holiday using the elastic band, AugustChild and I have put together a few routines to show you some of the things you can use it for.

Bicep Curl

With one foot forward and the other slightly apart and behind, pass the elastic underneath your front foot making sure the elastic is properly balanced. Firmly step on the elastic to prevent it coming undone. With a nice grip in both hands, pull the elastic towards your chest as you would when using dumbbells. Do as many reps as possible

2. Tricep

Find a strong and firmly fitted bar or surface that is at least the same height as you and wrap the elastic around it so you are facing it. With slightly bended knees and a straight back, pull firmly but gently downwards as you would with a cable extension at the gym.

3. Lunges – with elastic in front

Do lunges as you normally would but with the elastic stretched in front of your chest. With stretched back leg, go down with your front let whiles pulling the elastic across your chest as shown in the picture. Make sure to keep the movement as one motion.

4. Lunges – with elastic at the back

Perform the same action as in number 3 above but only this time the elastic should be on your upper back. So you would pull across your back with arms stretched wide

5. Overhead Tricep extensions

Wrap the elastic around an object above you making sure it is behind you. Gently pull over your head in a forward motion. Go back to the start and repeat several times.

6. Side pull-downs

Again with the elastic tied to a strong object overhead, pull the elastic firmly but cautiously down towards one side and then back to the start. Repeat this several times before swapping to the other side.

7. Push ups

Push ups are just amazing. By themselves they work out several muscle groups including chest, arms, shoulders, back and neck simultaneously. They are part of an exercise regimen that helps strength the upper body and shoulder with stability to the torso. Push ups are self-sufficient and do not require any equipment or elastic.

In normal push ups, you lower your body towards the ground with arms apart and then push back to the start. Repeat several times and rest.

Yoga push ups on the other hand words slightly differently. There are three stages in one a push up. The start where you create an arch with your body with your bum sticking upwards, the middle where your body is in a parallel position with the ground, and end where your torso is higher from the ground compared to the rest of your body. You connect all three in one go.

Phew! Typing this makes me feel like I have been working out some muscles. Sideye. Please pack one of these bad boys into your travel luggage as you head off somewhere exotic. I hope you continue using it at your local park when you get back from your holiday.

Anyway I hope the above helped and gave your insight into using elastics but please speak to your gym instructor for a detailed explanation especially if you have not done this before. The above steps works for me, hopefully they will for you too.